19 comments:

It varies for different stories, but I think I prefer second drafts. I no longer have to face the tyranny of the blank page, but I don't have to be ultra tough on myself as in latter drafts. I sometimes struggle to keep going when I'm writing a first draft; I get into a spiral of I-can't-finish-this-and-nobody-will-read-it-anyway. In the final drafts, it's more this-is-terrible-and-nobody-will-ever-want-to-read-it!

I had been avoiding starting revisions on my latest for a while, but feel the pressure of time. Once I started, I remembered how much I love the process. It's fun! I don't know if I prefer the drafting or the crafting; each comes with its own particular rewards and headaches.

There's just something about first drafts, though, isn't there? I mean, I edit books for a living and even I prefer that rush of inspiration and magic that comes to us when we first sit down at the keyboard and go to town. That's where the creativity is. It can't reach its full potential, obviously, without the discipline of good revision, but the feeling you get when you're just beginning is pretty incomparable.

I kind of flip flop on which I like better, drafting or revising. I think drafting tends to be my favorite, but I've found that I really enjoy revising when I'm fixing things based on excellent CP notes. If I'm revising because of my own ideas, without their brilliant suggestions, it's not as fun. :)